


15 Years

by milhouse



Category: Fawlty Towers
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Married Couple, Rated T for language, basil had good intentions, not beta read we die like men, not too in character but i tried, since we deserved a tender moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28334886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milhouse/pseuds/milhouse
Summary: At the end of the day, despite everything, Basil really did love Sybil.S2 E5 of Fawlty Towers where Basil actually tells Sybil what's going on instead of just letting her leave like that.
Relationships: Basil Fawlty/Sybil Fawlty
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	15 Years

**Author's Note:**

> there's like, a serious lack of fawlty towers fics so this is my poor contribution. there's a point in this where i mention that sybil is looking at basil's lips but to be fair john cleese doesn't actually have any.
> 
> you can watch the episode [here](https://youtu.be/AI8HA3Q5PCA) in case u are living under a rock and clicked on this fic but have never seen it.

"Agh!" Basil actually _screamed_ at the sight of the familiar vehicle pulling into the driveway. Please, Lord, if he was going to die of sudden cardiac arrest, let it be now.

"What is it? What is it?" A friend of Sybil's asked urgently, taking her attention away from the dark silhouette of Polly. Apparently, the foaming at her mouth was no longer of much interest as everyone watched Basil leap back in absolute horror.

He was hysteric. "I just remembered something d-downstairs! You stay here, have a chat with Polly--"

Polly grabbed at him. _Shit._ "Sybil, Sybil!" Basil corrected himself, "I'll just, uh, shan't be a moment!"

And with that, he rushed down the stairs, greeting his wife as she appeared in the doorway. He wanted to pass out right there and then, yet with every molecule of his lanky, agitated being, Basil managed to remain perfectly calm.

"Hello, dear," he spoke as casually as possible, folding his hands in front of him. 

"I came back for my clubs, Basil," Sybil said flatly, "I'm not staying."

"Oh, aren't you?" He breathed out, unable to look her way as he pictured the commotion that was likely occurring upstairs, "Okay."

"What?"

"Well, I'm sure you know best, dear." 

"You don't even want me to, do you?"

What the hell was he supposed to say to that? "Um," Basil hesitated, the gears in his brain coming to a dead stop. He couldn't help but to shy away from her. “What's that?" He murmured, staring down at a nonexistent speck on the lapel of his jacket in a pathetic attempt to change the topic. When Sybil slapped him across the face, just enough for it to sting, he was left with no choice but to meet her eyes.

"Fifteen years I've been with you! When I think what I might've had."

"Fifteen years," Basil sighed as he pretended to reminisce, "God."

"You want me to go, don't you?"

"Oh, no, but you've obviously made your mind up, so…" Basil clicked his tongue and shrugged. If he could just get her to _leave_ , maybe he could still work everything out.

"I won't forget this, Basil."

"Won't you, dear?"

"No, I won't," Sybil looked away. Both of them stared at the ground in a moment of painful and uncomfortable silence. Something in Basil's heart tugged slightly as he tried to fight the urge to lose the facade and break down. 

"I'm going now, Basil. I think it's best, don't you?"

Basil spared a quick glance at Sybil only to see tears forming at the corners of her eyes. _Oh, sod it._

He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, "Listen, Sybil. Forget everything I said. Of course I don't want you to go."

She continued to avert her gaze as he spoke softly. "I didn't forget about our anniversary, either. I had it all planned, actually. I invited some friends over for a surprise party, Manuel was going to make paella if it turned out to be edible,"

Finally, Sybil looked up with a hopeful look in her eyes. As much as Basil wanted to smile down at her, the unpleasant part of his confession still remained. He swallowed nervously as he continued, "But, uh you see, dear, it didn't quite work out. When you left, erm… I- I don't quite know how to explain this, to be completely honest…" He took a deep breath, "Well, Sybil, my darling Sybil, my dear, my dearest Sybil, love, my--"

"Basil," Sybil eyed him suspiciously, "What did you do this time?"

"I paid Polly the money for the car to pretend to be you."

"Oh, Basil…"

"Our friends are upstairs visiting her right now. They think that you're-- that _she's_ ill." 

"Basil--"

"And a lot of them are injured. They hurt themselves in the dark, you see. Oh, and Manuel and Terry--"

"Basil! My God." Sybil cut him off for the final time, seeing as each time he opened his mouth, the situation miraculously became worse. "How did you manage all of this? Could you not have just been honest for once?"

Clattering came from upstairs. Basil rushed to put a hand on the small of Sybil's back and tried leading her to the kitchen, "Dear, if you could just hide in a cabinet for a little bit…"

"Stop!" She properly shouted this time, her exasperation coming to its tipping point. "This is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not hiding in any bleeding cabinet. You go upstairs and you tell them that you paid Polly to dress up like me, Basil. Go up there and tell them everything."

During his time at Fawlty Towers, Basil became rather used to being humiliated. It was second nature, really, along with the continuous agitation and anxiety he felt. His repressed rage seeped out constantly, causing him to go to absolutely ridiculous lengths to protect his reputation and the hotel's yet damaging it more and more with every lie he told and every stunt he pulled. This time, however… this time he wasn't sure if he could take the embarrassment. These weren't some random, upper-class twits that posed as a sorry excuse for hotel guests. These were their actual friends. 

But it was his mistake, and if admitting to it meant that he had a shot at saving their anniversary, then he knew what he had to do. 

He exhaled. "Alright. I'll go tell them."

Sybil stared up at him in shock. "You're not going to wish me luck then just walk off? You're not going to leave me to solve it?"

At the end of the day, despite everything, Basil really did love Sybil. He couldn't think of a single person who would be able to put up with antics, except for maybe Manuel, of course. Manuel was dutiful and seemed to look up to him, when he thought about it. He shook his head-- he wasn't going to marry Manuel. He was in love with Sybil, even after fifteen years of her agonizingly long phone calls, her obnoxious laugh, her constant trips to the hairdresser's, and her tendency to talk to guests rather than actually help him. He would never admit it, but his life would be empty without their constant bickering and her cool-headed, capable approach to every challenge they faced at the hotel. He told her this.

Well, not really. Basil wasn't great with words, so he told her in the only way that he knew how. 

"I love you."

Again, the temporary anger melted away and Sybil's lips curled up into a sweet, soft smile. "You really are ridiculous, Basil."

"I know, dear."

"You are. You're the craziest man I've ever met." 

They looked at each other affectionately, and Basil wished they could share more tender moments like this. He watched as Sybil's gaze lowered to his lips and she asked, "How long will it take you to get them to leave?" 

"What?"

"Our friends. If you went up there, how long would I have to wait in the cabinet till they're gone?"

Basil blinked a few times in surprise. "Uh, five minutes, depending on how good Polly's acting skills are."

Sybil gave him a quick peck on the cheek before making her way into the kitchen, stepping over Manuel and Terry as they wrestled on the floor, likely trying to choke each other to death. "Thank Polly for me!" She called out to him, stepping into the large cabinet that faced the doors to the dining room. 

"I will, dear." Basil ran back up the stairs.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry maybe i'm in love with sybil fawlty.


End file.
